Jun 15, 2008 10:58 pm US/Central
Finding Minnesota: Showboat Along The Mississippi
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) ―
With sunny days finally in the forecast, a lot of us are eager to get out and about. And there is no shortage of summer activities and outdoor playgrounds to explore in Minnesota.
We found one that offers great views and great entertainment all in one place, and offers some history about that lazy river flowing through the Twin Cities in the bargain.
The Minnesota Centennial Showboat is a unique stage for University of Minnesota theatre arts and dance students. It has been around for most of the last half-decade.
In 1958, student actors had their first season on the Mississippi aboard an old military work horse that was refurbished and patterned after the original showboats, which stopped for performances wherever they might attract an audience.
According to theater arts and dance professor Lance Brockman, in the early days, the Minnesota Centennial Showboat floated along the river just as the old ones did.
"It went all the way down to Winona, and as far north as Stillwater, and actually one of the first sites was here on Harriet Island, although it was obviously very different than that it is now," he said.
The boat doesn't actually move. It's docked off Harriet Island, but there are some wonderful sights to be seen off the deck, making for a great entertainment option any day of the summer.
Also, the current boat is actually a replica of the original, which went up in flames in 2000 while it was being refurbished.
"The fire was an accident. It was actually a welding fire, but by the time the fire alarm was called the total boat was engulfed," said Brockman.
With a new boat, an old tradition continues, and students run the whole operation.
"We have an 80-show run, at this point in our careers, we're assured to maybe two, maybe three weekends of a show. Here we have 10 weeks of a show, doing it eight times a week," said Showboat player Christopher Kehoe.
Adam Ehret, production manager, said he is in charge of "running the lights, running the sound, running the spotlight. This year we have projections so people can sing along."
Brockman says it's important for the students to do it all for a number of reasons. They get training, obviously, but they also get to experience a whole element to American theater that's been lost.
"That's what we try to recreate down here" said Brockman.
Students not only get experience, but decent summer stock pay. Audience members get to be part of turn of the century Vaudeville.
"As an audience member, your job isn't done just when you pick up your ticket and sit in your seat, but something that reinforces the idea that you have a part to play as an audience member," said Kehoe.
This summer's show is "The Count of Monte Cristo." It opened Friday and runs through Aug. 23.
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